In the American eSports scene for League of Legends, there are currently large protests. Riot Games has agreed to remove the requirement for Academy teams from professional squads. Consequently, the players protested. However, professional Yiliang “Doublelift“ Peng clarifies: He would rather play than let the league fall apart.
What is the problem?
- America has not been as successful in LoL for years as many would like. This makes the region less attractive, even though participation in the first league – the LCS – is very expensive. The CLG team, for example, plans to withdraw completely by the end of 2023, while Team SoloMid is considering switching regions.
- A point of contention between the teams and Riot Games was the Academy teams. These were supposed to train new talents in the second league; however, each team in the LCS previously had to field such a team. In Europe, this requirement no longer exists, but most teams have a second team of their own, like SK Gaming Prime in Germany or Vitality.Bee in France. This clause was also removed in Korea some time ago.
- Riot Games therefore agreed to a request in May to lift the requirement, prompting 7 out of 10 teams to announce their withdrawal from the second league, with some wanting to dissolve their teams entirely. Over 70 jobs for players and coaches are at stake (via Twitter).
- The LCS Player Association, which advocates for the rights of players, called for a strike, and the professional players followed suit. The start of the league has been postponed.
- However, Riot Games threatened to completely cancel the summer season and not allow any American team to participate in the World Championship. A solution must be found by June 15.
In a video lasting about 20 minutes, professional Doublelift has now commented on the situation. He started his career in 2011 with the CLG team and is still an active player in the LCS at the age of 29. Over the years, he has gone through various highs and lows in eSports and is estimated to be one of the highest-earning LoL players ever (via Esports.net).
“Academy teams were a stupid idea”
What does Doublelift say about the situation? He starts by saying that the basic idea of the “forced” Academy teams is a stupid idea. The teams themselves know that they earn nothing from it. Sponsors don’t care about these teams, and fans won’t be gained this way. Therefore, many training teams are treated rather like stepchildren and function as backup teams rather than talent incubators.
This aligns with a statement from the LCS Player Association, which says that Riot Games gives the teams 3 million dollars every year to be better financially positioned. However, only a few teams actually invest this money into Academy teams and talent development (via Twitter).
The USA has rather the reputation of paying a lot of money for old players and former heroes who want to cash in on their “career evening”. Therefore, the strongest teams mainly feature players who were previously successful in Korea and Europe.
However, Doublelift is also not satisfied with Riot Games’ new idea for the second league. The NA Challenger League is getting new teams and a new format, as well as a share of viewer revenue. But that is not enough to make the second league interesting.
Doublelift voted for the strike but would break it for the Summer Split
What does Doublelift think about the strike? At a meeting of players with the LCS Player Association, the professional voted for the strike because he fundamentally supports the idea of talent development and having a second league.
He was even very surprised that all 50 professionals joined the strike.
However, he also says that he would not carry out the strike at the expense of the Summer Split and going to the Worlds:
I want to emphasize that I care, but if the options are to fight for the Academy teams or let the Summer Split of the LCS be canceled, then I will skip it [the strike].
How does he see the demands of the LCSPA? Later in the video, he discusses the 5 points that the Player Association sent to Riot Games in their questionnaire. However, he is not satisfied with most of the demands. He says they are either unreasonable or not the right way to get everyone to the table:
- He would find a promotion system like in Valorant, where the worst teams in the LCS would have to face off against the best teams in the second league, great, but Doublelift does not believe there are enough good professionals in America for that.
- He is also critical of the demands for minimum earnings and high salaries for players. He would rather see higher prize pools to reward the team that truly cares about the second league. High player salaries would simultaneously raise high expectations.
- He welcomes the introduction of partnerships with affiliates.
- He rejects the guaranteed player contracts for promotion to the LCS, which are demanded in the fourth point.
- The last demand states that if 3 out of 5 players on a team in the second league want to continue working together but the organization does not, the players can claim the team’s spot if they wish. This is intended to prevent organizations from simply getting rid of entire teams. He sees this point as rather neutral.
Doublelift receives criticism but also support
How is the professional’s opinion received? Some well-known personalities criticize Doublelift for the video. He is said to undermine the demands of the Player Association, which also advocates for him.
There is criticism from Christian “IWDominate” Rivera, who himself was a professional in the LCS until the end of 2022, and Michael “Veteran” Archer, who played in the European LEC until the end of 2021.
However, many on Twitter and YouTube understand Doublelift’s decision. He is seen as a competitive player, and the league comes first for him. Additionally, he has good chances of going to the World Championship, which would be denied to him.
The well-known LoL streamer Tyler1 even criticizes the entire strike: LoL: “They only steal salary checks” – Twitch streamer rants about the strike of the professionals.
What do you think about the strike and the situation in America? Feel free to write it in the comments.
